Ads that give a legislator goosebumps: Why Idaho leaders praise fentanyl awareness drive

Advertisements designed to raise awareness about fentanyl have been seen or heard more than 60 million times, an advertising agency reported to the state’s Behavioral Health Council.

And a survey research firm reported an increase in knowledge and concern about the synthetic opioid among teens and young adults, and an increase in the share of them who had spoken with friends about it.

The campaign, called Fentanyl Takes All, is part of Operation Esto Perpetua, a plan launched by Gov. Brad Little last year to combat fentanyl overdoses in Idaho, which reported 152 deaths from the drug in 2021.

The governor created a citizen advisory group, which in turn recommended actions the state should take — including a statewide media campaign — to a law enforcement panel. The state also deployed police to the U.S.-Mexico border, paid for more roadside testing equipment for the drug, and is expected to form a new drug interdiction team to intercept fentanyl entering Idaho.

“Improved outreach, education and awareness about the dangers of fentanyl is one part of our multipronged strategy to turn the tide on the deadliest drug our society has faced,” Little said in a news release after the results were reported to the council on Friday, Aug. 11.

Mindy Stomp, CEO of Boise ad agency Drake Cooper, said the campaign, which began in January, directed most of its funding to targeting teens and young adults. Drake Cooper, which ran the advertisements, spent $147,500 — just over half of its funding — targeting kids ages 12-24. Caregivers and parents were next in line, followed by all Idahoans.

The campaign included the stories of four Idahoans who died after taking lethal doses of fentanyl, which is often mixed with other drugs and taken accidentally. A dose of two milligrams — one grain of salt — is lethal, according to the campaign.

The advertisements appeared on billboards, YouTube and TV and in social media feeds and internet searches, Stomp said. Almost 80,000 Idahoans have visited the campaign website, she said.

Boise-based survey firm GS Strategy Group interviewed Idahoans in November and May, before and after the campaign began, said Robert Jones, a partner at the company, during the council meeting.

The firm interviewed 104 Idaho teens ages 12-17, 205 young adults ages 18-24, and 214 parents ages 30-64.

The share of teens reporting that they knew either “a lot” or “some” about fentanyl rose to 62% in May from 40% in November, while the share of young adults reporting that level of knowledge rose to 70% from 50%, Jones said in a call with the Statesman.

The share of teens who said they’d had a conversation with their friends about the drug rose to 50% in May from 36% in November, and the share of young adults rose to 57% from 45%.

Jones also reported double-digit percentage point increases in the portion of people in both groups saying they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about fentanyl use.

The council was impressed.

“I used to work in marketing and advertising, and numbers like that are really hard to come by,” said Dave Jeppesen, council co-chair and director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, in an interview with the Idaho Statesman after the meeting. “So to move people more than 10 percentage points in six months of time is pretty phenomenal.”

Sara Omundson, council co-chair and administrative director of the state courts, said in the same interview that she appreciated the way the campaign balanced emotion and education.

“I always believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” she said. “That’s why this is so important that we really do focus on those younger folks.”

Rep. Brooke Green, D-Boise, said during the meeting that the advertisements gave her goosebumps.

The campaign was funded by emergency funds from the governor’s office, according to the release from the governor. The second phase of the campaign will be paid for using opioid settlement funds approved by the Legislature.

“Overall, the data tells us we were moving in the right direction,” said Marianne King, director of the Idaho Office of Drug Policy and a member of the Operation Esto Perpetua law enforcement panel, in an email to the Statesman. “But it also tells us we have a lot of work left to do.”

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